Official MLBlog of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Game #136 LHV 9 – SWB 5

DATE: August 25, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Yankees Nine Game Win Streak History with 9-5 Loss to PigsSWB jumps out to 4-1 lead but can’t hang on as Lehigh Valley picks up the win

Allentown, PA – Lehigh Valley (73-63) overcame a 4-1 deficit and snapped the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (79-57) season high nine game winning streak with a come from behind 9-5 win in the opening game of five consecutive games between the top two teams in the International League North. The Yankees “magic number” to clinch the IL North Division crown remains at four with the loss to the Iron Pigs.

For the second consecutive night the Yankees opened up the game with a productive first inning. The Yankees picked up four runs on five hits on Friday in Buffalo and scored two runs on two hits against the Iron Pigs on Saturday night. Chris Dickerson doubled to open the game off left hander Mario Hollands and went to third on a single by Corban Joseph. Eduardo Nunez gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead on an infield single in the hole at second base. Two batters later with one down in the frame, Brandon Laird’s bloop single to right scored Joseph for a 2-0 lead.

Ramon Ortiz (LP, 12-6), ended up with his shortest start of the season since his first appearance with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 10th: a game that was initially suspended after the fourth inning due to rain. The Iron Pigs picked up seven runs off Ortiz in 4.1 innings on eight hits. He matched a season high with four walks and ended his night with five strikeouts. Lehigh Valley got its first run of the night home in the bottom of the first inning on a bases loaded walk to Steve Susdorf to cut the SWB lead to 2-1.

The Yankees shook off the Lehigh Valley run in the first by adding two more in the top of the second inning on RBI hits from Ronnier Mustelier and Austin Romine. Mustelier’s single scored Dickerson who picked up a one out walk and went first to third on the second hit of the night from Nunez. Romine’s single scored Nunez who moved to second on the Mustelier single moving the advantage to 4-1.

Lehigh Valley took the lead for the first time with four runs in the third against Ortiz. The rally began with two out on back-to-back singles from Jason Pridie and Susdorf. With two on and two out, Cody Overbeck picked up the first of his three RBI’s on the night with a single to left scoring Pridie to cut the SWB lead in half at 4-2. Derrick Mitchell, the next Lehigh Valley hitter took Ortiz deep to left for a three run shot and a 5-4 lead. The homer was the 17th allowed by the Yankees starter, the most of any SWB pitcher.

The Iron Pigs weren’t done with Ortiz adding two more runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning before the SWB start was chased with one down in the inning. Pete Orr led off the inning with a double to right and after a one out walk to Susdorf, the fourth by Ortiz; Overbeck drove both runners home with a gap double to right center field for his second and third RBI’s of the night and a 7-4 lead.

The lead grew to 9-4 with a pair of Lehigh Valley runs off SWB reliever Kelvin Perez in the bottom of the seventh. Back-to-back singles by Michael Spidale and Susdorf opened the inning and a walk to Overbeck loaded the bases. Perez was lifted in favor of Chase Whitley who can in out of the Yankees pen and gave up two runs, both Perez’s on a pair of sacrifice flies by Mitchell and Sebastian Valle to run the lead to five.

The Yankees picked up a run in the top of the ninth inning on a sac fly hit by Austin Romine to close out the scoring at 9-5.

Juan Morillo (WP, 1-0) picked up the win in relief of Pigs starter Mario Hollands who was lifted after 4.0 innings of work. Morillo turned in 2.0 scoreless innings picking up his first win of the season.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre continues the three game series at Lehigh Valley Sunday afternoon at 1:35 PM. The Yankees send left hander Justin Thomas (1-1, 3.56 ERA) to the mound for the game two start with the Iron Pigs countering with right hander Jonathan Pettibone (4-0, 1.69) ERA

Porcupines in Pinstripes

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